Inventário do patrimônio geológico da APA da Escarpa Devoniana em Ponta Grossa - PR

Abstract

This paper aims to present a geoheritage inventory of the ‘Environmental Protection Area (EPA) of the Devonian Escarpment’ within the boundaries of Ponta Grossa (Southern Brazil), a municipality of notable geodiversity where socio-environmental conflicts are aggravated. The EPA is a conservation unit that embrace part of the “Campos Gerais do Paraná”, a rich geodiversity area that holds the last remnants of natural grasslands of the region. Consisting in the primordial stage of a geoconservation strategy, the inventory becomes an important tool to effect the geoheritage dissemination and protection. Sixty-four geosites was described, mapped and evaluated regarding its risk of degradation and its relevance for scientific, didactic and tourism use. With the assessment, it was possible to realize that important geosites are threatened, even located in one or more environmental conservation units, requiring the implementation of subsequent strategies of geoconservation. It is hoped that, from this work, new steps can be taken for the effective protection of the geological heritage of the EPA of the Devonian Escarpment in Ponta Grossa and region.